A technology that allows firefighters to fight flames that are behind barriers has been developed and is being used by the Air Force and the Navy.
The PyroLance is a water gun that can pierce through steel, concrete, brick or bulletproof glass before pelting a fire behind such obstacles with water.
The contraption penetrates materials with pressurized water and granite, puncturing them with a three-millimeter hole.
Water can then be sprayed through that hole onto flames that are on the other side.
So far the technology has been picked up by a handful of airports and fire services across the globe, in addition to the Navy and the Air Force, according to CNNMoney.
This ‘water gun’, called the PyroLance, can break through steel, concrete, brick or bulletproof glass using pressurized water and granite. Once the machine has penetrated a barrier it can spray flames in an enclosed area. It is being used by the Navy and the Air Force
Among the establishments that have invested in the technology are Houston Airport, Rolls Royce Engine Factory, AMT Canada Train Tunnel and Charleston Harbor Pilots.
But the president of PyroLance, Scott Alexander, told CNNMoney that he finds it difficult to convince firefighters that his company is not going to put them out of a job.
‘The reality is we’re trying to keep them safe,’ Alexander said. The PyroLance system costs from $15,000 to $80,000 dollars.
The PyroLance can get through strong materials that are encasing a fire in as little as three seconds, according to the company’s website.
It states that the equipment can puncture a double brick faced wall or plywood in 30 seconds, a concrete block in 35 seconds, a sheet of aluminium in ten seconds and a FedEx cargo plane in three seconds.
Ultra-High Pressure (UHP) technology is what allows the ‘gun’ to break barriers this quickly. UHP pelts the materials with tiny droplets of water repetitively, and this, eventually, breaks through the layer.
UHP also conserves water, PyroLance has said. ‘UHP routinely outperforms traditional attack lines while using only about ten percent of the water. A full 90 percent of normal pressure flow becomes run-off and is effectively wasted.
‘By contrast, 90 percent of UHP flow is effective in knocking down and containing fires.’
The above diagram explains how the PyroLance works. After the gun has pierced a barrier, it can cool down a flaming room by 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit in less than one minute
The machinery can cool down an enclosed space that has caught on fire remarkably fast, bringing down the temperature from about 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit to 200 degrees Fahrenheit in less than 60 seconds.
When the gun pierces a barrier and then sprays flames in an enclosed space with water, moderate amounts of oxygen are pumped in to reduce the chance of a backdraft, the company said.
Alexander told CNNMoney that his company is the sole manufacturer of the technology that can pierce barriers to get to a fire using pressurized water.
HOW MANY AMERICANS ARE AFFECTED BY HOME FIRES?
A new technology called the PyroLance can cut through steel, brick and other materials quickly to fight flames enclosed in tight space. The machinery has been adopted by the US Navy and Air Force as well as a number of airports and fire services around the world
According to the National Fire Protection Association, 50 percent of deaths caused by home fires occur between 11pm and 7am, but only a fifth of home fires are reported during that time frame.
A fourth of these deaths occur after a fire starts in a bedroom, and another fourth are caused by fires that originate in the living room, den or family room.
Three-fifths of deaths caused by home fires occur in spaces that are either not equipped with a smoke alarm or equipped with a non-functioning smoke alarm.
US fire departments tackled about 365,500 home fires in 2015, which caused 2,560 deaths and 11,075 injuries. Additionally, these fires caused $7billion worth of damage.
About seven people in the US die from a home fire each day.
The leading cause of injuries resulting from home fires is cooking. The second largest cause is heating equipment.
The leading cause of deaths resulting from home fires is smoking materials.
The majority of fatal fires take one or two lives.
He also shared that the goal of the technology is to prevent toxic smoke environments, deadly backdrafts and intense heat from limiting firefighters’ abilities on the job.
‘Firefighters can manage the thermal layer while remaining outside in a safe, shielded, defensive position,’ PyroLance’s website states.
The gun does not create sparks when it is used and it is also non-heat producing.
‘This gives PyroLance the ability to quickly breach and/or cut most types of materials without creating any additional heat or sparks.
‘In addition, without the requirement of any other tools, it becomes both a defensive and offensive fire attack tool,’ the website explains.